Digital Web Printing is the Future – Are You In?

June 21, 2017

Artisan craftsmen who work on massive printing presses producing exquisite print masterpieces are quickly being overtaken by digital web printing. While there’s no doubt that grand Heidelberg presses produce amazing results, digital technology has transformed the print and design industry putting it within the reach of most businesses and consumers. When originally introduced, Digital web printing delivers amazing advantages along with newer technology that now offers almost the exact same level of quality as the tried and true methods of offset printers.

What makes digital web printing different than the traditional process? Digital web printing uses design software and digital images while traditional presses use metal plates and ink to create an image. Think about the complication of creating metal plates for each layer of color in your piece and the tight registration required to produce a high-quality image. The use of digital images today offers an enormous range of colors, project sizes, and the ability to easily personalize a piece by merging lists with the art prior to printing. Digital web printing has revolutionized the print industry over the last 25 years.

Any printing business that is not yet offering digital print services is missing out on this future. There is a tidal wave of change happening that cannot be denied. Digital technology has even grown the consumer demand with the world “going green”. There are more artists, photographers, and entrepreneurs in need of services simply because access to design and print services is readily available for literally almost everyone.

Still need convincing arguments about why to invest in digital technology? The benefits of digital web printing are substantial for both businesses and consumers in the ways below:

Very Cost-Effective: Digital printing can produce short or long-run jobs with virtually the same level of effort, meaning that the difference in cost to produce black and white vs. color jobs is negligible. Jobs can be run on various material sizes depending on the equipment, which enables printers to offer a wider range of products than ever before.

Faster Turnaround Time and Simplified Edit Process: Using digital files instead of constantly changing metal plates reduces preparation and run time for a job. Because all color is applied at once, the drying time is greatly reduced in digital web printing. With traditional printing, each color has to dry before the next can be applied. In the likely event that edits are needed, changing a digital image is quick because there is no need to create a new plate each time.

Improved Technology Retains High-Quality Results: Early web printing produced sub-par quality results, primarily because with traditional methods the ink actually soaks into the page for a richer result while digital print ink sits on top of the paper. Smearing and blurry edges were common. Digital equipment today offers optimization technology which matches gloss levels of the printed image to the material it’s printed on, as well as fuser fluid that seals ink to the page via heat or UV light processes, creating vivid, offset-like products. Digital results now would be hard to distinguish from traditional for even the most discriminating clients.

Simple Staff and Designer Learning Curve: Since a digital press is basically a computer using design software, it’s very familiar to most workers out there. Training time for staff and designers is greatly reduced as compared to the complicated traditional presses. Digital files also make it easy to collaborate with many players, allow for remote editing access, and expedite the proof and approval process.

It’s Better for the Earth: Digital technology disperses less harsh chemical emissions into the air and uses far less paper than traditional. Electronic proofs mean paper is only used for the final job.

Web technology means printers can produce an incredible array of deliverables today. That means more opportunities to add to your bottom line with less staff and investment than ever before.

Opportunities to Build Your Bottom Line with Digital Printing

Direct Mail Personalization – Enables art to merge with personalized data points to catch the consumer’s eye and increase response rates. Personalization can be anything from their name to a picture of their car model or mention of a recent trip taken. Any data points collected are simple to add, the sky’s the limit!

Fine Art and Photos – High-end digital printers can produce artwork on any specialized paper using high-pigment inks for amazing results. Art and photos can be quickly retouched, corrected, or colorized to meet the needs of the client.

Print on Demand: Allows for the production of one or many items submitted on demand. Think photo books, personalized children’s stories, or small-run book publishers. Consumers love items that are uniquely made just for them, just figure out what to offer.

Advertising and Signage: Not only can you do standard brochures and annual reports, but signage, banners, point of sales materials, and custom mailing labels are available as well. Don’t forget the latest trend: architectural design where media is fashioned to the walls, floors, or outside of a building to grab attention.

If these projects sound like you, it’s the right time to investigate digital printing equipment for your business. Moving into the future with digital printing will pay off handsomely for your bottom line.

Ready to consider digital printing for your business? We suggest contacting www.PGAMA.com or your local printers association for guidance. Another great resource may be your vendor of choice for your printing equipment needs. When you are ready for Direct Mail, remember, Three Dog Logistics takes the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 220 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.